Today is definitely more a day for hibernating than for being outdoors. With Hurricane Sandy upon the Tri-State area and many schools and businesses closed for today, maybe even tomorrow in many cases, today is a great time to stay safely inside and focus on that list of things you keep meaning to do.

1. Catch up on all those DVRed shows you keep meaning to watch – at least until the power goes out.

2. Paint your nails – let’s face it they are in desperate need of sprucing up.

3. Get a head start with your Christmas list by shopping online – at least until the power goes out.

4. Finish that book you keep meaning to read, but never get around to (yes, I’m talking to you Les Mis).

5. Eat comfort food – a dangerous pastime when stuck indoors, but oh so fun, especially since you ran out to load up on Halloween candy a few days earlier.

6. Organize your digital photos into a photo book through Snapfish or Shutterfly – at least until the power goes out.

Lately, every free minute has been spent working on various home improvement projects around the house. Our house has been a whirlwind brought on partly because the pipe behind the shower sprung a leak which then went into the garage. After the plumber had been called and various holes had been gouged into the drywall, we decided maybe it was time to do other renovations after we got the now gaping holes in our home repaired.

Now, the garage is patched and waiting on a new coat of paint. The bathroom wall is hole free and repainted from deep brown to a light blue – still a shock to the eyes after having such a dark bathroom for so long! I’m going to work on a series of paintings to hang in the bathroom to complement the blue. I just finished refurbishing some old wooden boxes that will now house books and other odds and ends – they turned out pretty cool if I do say so myself. 🙂

Of course now that I’ve started my little projects the list seems to keep growing. Funny how that happens…

One of my favorite Dr. Suess books is a Great Day for Up. There are some books that are just so fun and whimsical that I can’t help but get in a good mood whenever I read them. And with the sun shining and the birds chirping, my thoughts wander to some of my favorite childhood books.

There’s something almost mystical about remembering those books. Almost like I’m revisiting a dream I once had. I have so many great memories surrounding the books I read; My dad reading The Secret Garden to me and my siblings at our family’s cabin in Vermont, me reading Encyclopedia Brown on my parent’s bed for so long that I woke up with my face pressed as a bookmark between the pages, sitting with my brother and sister and reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Of course, being raised as a book lover, there are hundreds more each with a special link to some memory in my past. I’m sure you have many such memories as well. I’d love to hear them!

People always talk about the benefits of running, but what about for 15 minutes of fame? Zeddie Little’s “ridiculously photogenic” photo was snapped during a 10k race in South Carolina and has since gone viral on Twitter, Facebook after it was uploaded on Flickr. Little even had an interview on Good Morning America and his story has been run on news sites all over the web. Running really does have great benefits! 🙂

It’s not always easy focusing on all the tasks that need to get done on any given day. Work, kids, writing, blogging, exercising, errands among a litany of other items that will quickly fill up any agenda. And when all those things pile up it can easily get overwhelming. Often I find myself wanting to spend my free time plopped in front of my TV instead of accomplishing what I should be doing instead. And while I don’t think TV is bad, sometimes it’s nice for my brain to turn off for an hour or two, it’s when I know my brain doesn’t need a break and yet I gravitate toward that pastime first.

Everyone is different and will most likely need and use different motivations to get his or her butt in gear and do something productive. Over the years I’ve found a few things work well in respect to getting me motivated. Maybe some of these will work for you too!

1. Get out of the house (and away from the distractions of home)

2. Make a list – it’s always very satisfying to cross things off that list as I finish them.

3. Exercise first – for me if I don’t get my adrenaline pumping before I start my tasks at hand I end up feeling lazy, unmotivated, and unfocused. Working out (especially running) clears my mind for the day ahead and gets me excited to tackle those tasks!

4. Create deadlines or goals – If I’m unmotivated, especially with my writing, I’ll tell myself something like – “Write until lunch, then take a break to read while eating, then go back to work.” This works very well for me as it breaks my tasks into easy to manage chunks rather than seeing the task as broad and overwhelming.

5. Remind myself how awesome I always feel after completing or working toward a goal

Next time you feel stuck in completing a task, I hope you find that extra push to get you toward your goals! 🙂